JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum THE FRANK BROWN SONGWRITER'S FESTIVAL

THE 30TH FRANK BROWN SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL
Hey folks. I wanted to talk about something that I feel is the most unique songwriting event in America, and describe it for you in order to possibly plant a seed for some of you think about making your own pilgramage sometime in the future.

The Frank Brown songwriter's festival is an amazing 10 day event that takes place every year in PERDIDO KEY FLA. and GULF SHORES ALABAMA. If you look at a map and see where the state lines of Alabama and Florida meet on the Gulf coast, that is where it is.
A larger map will show you it is fifteen miles from Pensecola Florida,and forty miles from MOBILE Alabama. Right smack dab in the middle.

Started in 1984, as a private party for some vacationing Nashville songwriters, it has turned into a monster. Around 200 of the top Nashville writers, incredible current writers, some legendary writers like Bruce Channel (Hey Baby!)Harland Howard and Hank Cochran, Micky Newbery have all made this event part of their yearly trecks. I have had the pleasure of meeting all those guys down here.

It has grown to 22 venues, with shows usually every night, up to four writers in a show, playing the top songs out there and the biggest hits you can ever imagine. This week started out with Don Schlitz,who ran through his hits from THE GAMBLER, to YOU SAY IT BEST WHEN YOU SAY NOTHING AT ALL, and every thing from artists like Randy Travis, Keith Whitley and 25 years of hits.
It continues on with artists like JAMEY JOHNSON and DEAN DILLON who has had over 30 GEORGE STRAIT number ones.

This is indeed, NIRVANA, for the songwriter. My involvement started in 1994, as I came down with two twin sisters, the KINLEY'S, who were at that time my back up singers. We were completely overwhelmed by this place. Not only the festival,but the region. The beaches are sugar white, and incredibly gorgeous! In the days it is sunshine and 75-80 degrees, with plenty of people laying on the beach in Bikinis. Really interesting from those people from Minnesota and Wisconsin who have home blanketed in snow right now.

It is off season, so people can get a four bedroom condo (that sleeps 8 people) right on the beach for nearly $100 a night or even less. There is plenty of hotels, motels, RV parks, so it is no problem getting a place to stay.
It was designed by JOE GILCHREST, the owner of the world famous FLORABAMA LOUNGE and PACKAGE STORE, which is the ground central for this festival. The Bluebird of this place if you will. Joe wanted a place that songwriters could come and show off,and be treated the way they deserve. Joe loves music and has gone into his own pocket year after year to make sure we were paid for shows, had lodging, food, everything we need.

In addition to the festival, there is the region, which has beautiful walking trails, the beach, boating, fishing, golf and a ton of shopping. So there truley is everything a family might need. A lot of people bring their kids and make it an incredible family vacation.It is off season, after labor day and before the snowbirds get here from the North, so everything is very affordable.

Being from Alabama, (I'm from Birmingham) I am known for my 1980's rock career, with my band 24 KARAT, which won a major battle of the bands National contest in 1984, also being from Nashville, and playing this area as a regular throughout the year, I am kind of a legacy down here. But it does offer me the opportunity to play a lot of shows (9 this year over the ten days) and bring some new artists and writers down here.

I have had three new ones so far with two more on the way before this weekend. I'm kind of the "Mutt Lange' of this area,LOL! But you see a lot of that. Every major writer has their own 'new discovery's" that the public might see in the next year or so. One of Fla. Georgia Line's first gigs was down here.
I brought Frankie Ballard down here in 2009 and he is on top of the charts right now.
There is always a new song that you hear,that comes out a year or so later. I heard HOUSE THAT BUILT ME about ten years ago, when Allen Shamblin played it.

And it is not just country. There are blues, rock, pop, folk artists, groups duos, as well.There are bluegrass and gospel days where some amazing people show their wares.They all have CD's, and are all etheral.

During the day, the local resturants turn out to feed us amazing local fare and allow all the writers to congregate at the Florabama for hanging out, BSing, telling war stories and getting to know each other. This is where I heard the story of "WIND BENEATH MY WINGS" from Larry Henley, one of the writers. It is where I heard about Garth getting discovered, people working with Taylor Swift, people with connections to Elvis, The Beatles, Roy Orbison, Eric Clapton, Glen Campbell, Lyle Lovett, Dolly Parton, and more, and catching the 'backstage stories of those and many more gives you the real dope on the REAL MUSIC INDUSTRY.

It is where I have heard of changes coming in the industry. In 98' this coming thing called the INTERNET was all the news. I have dealt with the collapse of the value of songs down here, as well as the shifts to "branding' with artists. I have found out about how publishing companies and record companies have dealt with the changes, and shifted their business dynamic.

And EVERY MAJOR writer and arists (over 50 of them) that have had top ten or number one songs, I met HERE, not in NASHVILLE. This where I have gotten a lot of the information I impart on you here, the good, the bad and the ugly. This is where it comes from.

But the most important thing I get down here is the sense of COMMUNITY. So many of you write threads, and ask questions about HOW you break into this business? You ask about GATEKEEPERS, THE POWERS THAT BE, and feel so helpless in trying to navigate these waters.You wonder about how "such and such got on the radio" and how it all sounds alike and crappy".

Well a lot of us feel that way too. And if you were able to sit around a lunch table and hear some stories about some of the writers of those songs and how THEY THINK THEY ARE SILLY AS WELL, you might get a better sense of the real nature of this business. A lot of this stuff is pure, dumb luck. BEing in the right place in the right time. But it ALL 100% comes from PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, and this type of place is where those come from.

And if you could sit in a drop dead quiet room with 500 other people and hear someone that wrote one of those "Dirt road, truck songs" THEN rip out 6 more songs that rip your heart out, harken you back to the days of your youth and remind you of why you got involved in music to begin with, and hear them talk about the frustrations of NOT getting those kinds of songs on the radio, or hearing something you grew up with touch you like it did when you were a teenager, you would get a very different sense of what all of this is about.

I've been seeing the news reports of what Garth Brooks did a few days ago in Minneapolis. Seeing a woman with a homemade sign, "CHEMO TODAY, GARTH TONIGHT, ENJOYING THE DANCE", then seeing Garth bring her down front, sing to her, take her sign, show it to the Jumbo Tron, then GIVE HER HIS GUITAR, is one of those moments that are distinctivly country. That is what we are really about and what happens hundreds of times in our community that most people never hear about.
We don't parade around our generosity. You don't hear of the enormous financial donations to charities, many of our artists and writers do. They don't put it on the front pages.

But that happens and down here it happens all the time. When Katrina hit in 2006, the people here stepped up and sent trucks of supplies and many went over there. Even when IVAN ravaged this area a few months later and they were suffering themselves, the community of Nashville rose up and helped out.

All of that is on display here, and I really wish some of you could make a trip down. I would be happy to take you around and show you the music industry I know and talk about. It could change your life.

At any rate, I'm here every year. For information, visit the www.frankbrowninternationalsongwritersfestival.com or just FBISF.com.

And by the way, no I am not paid by the festival aside from my shows here. I do teaching and private appointments, but that is separate from them. It is just something very unique that every writer, artist, poet, dreamer can be a part of.

Would love to see you and love to meet so many of you that I know here, face to face. GET OUT OF THE LIVING ROOM!!!

I'll be glad to host a JPF reunion down here!

MAB

Well,
It sounds like a lot of fun and it isn't too far from here but I don't get around much anymore as the old song says. Write a Hit!

Nah,I'll just write em that hit em between the eyes. That's the only kind of hit I need. Something they remember.

MAB

MAB, nice historical perspective on the event. Sounds like you're having a blast. Tables and Chairs! Give 'me Tables and Chairs.

Yes Dan. I remember when you came out to see me at the Kalamazoo, Chili Peppers get together. You need to get back with those guys. They are doing some great things up there. Was just there a few weeks ago.

Try to keep FROM playing to TABLES AND CHAIRS.

MAB

MAB, the Chili Peppers write to the Nashville commercial model, as you well know. My songs are a long ways from that zip code. I wouldn't fit in what they're trying to do, not that they're looking for or need any help from me. At best, they'd find my songs outdated and certainly not anything they'd be interested in. So It would be a waste of everyone's time for me to try and connect with them. Like mixing oil with water.

Dan,

Actually, the Chili Peppers are made up of 5 to 7 individuals and all of them write far different than the Nashville mode. Memo and Rene are in a Tejano Band, Los Bandits and write for that market. Nate has written more rock oriented stuff, as well as Shelagh Brown. Charlie Menshe is an older guy and writes more traditional. Clayton is a lyricst has no specific genre.

The real key of "Nashville songwriting" is clear,concise lyrics, reinforcing melodic hooks,and songs that are less than four minute long. There are many styles under that big tent.

It is fairly amazing to me how many people miss that. And then you go to something like the Frank Brown Festival, where you see and hear writers and artists from every genre there is. In one night I saw New Orleans Zydeco, stone country, an 81 year old blues man, some "New York" Broadway" type songs, comedy, and several hit country songs, all on the same stage, and some times in the same round.

In my own shows I go from contemporary country, blues country, comedy, huge power ballads, and totally insane jokes and wisecracks at the same time. I am an entertainer so it comes quite naturally for me.

But I know that you have to stretch out, get beyond your comfort zone. Sometimes pairing up different styles are exactly what it takes to make for great songwriting. Or sometimes it turns to mud. But you learn from both experiences.

I do know of one number one hit song that was written with an LA rock guy, a New York Rap and hip hop guy and a Nashville primarily country guy. All three had never met each other and actually were never in the same room at the same time. The song was "SAVE THE WORLD" by Eric Clapton. Gordon Kennedy, the Nashville guy, told me the story when we went to Congress in 2006. So each of them got out of their comfort zone.

That is what I push people to do.

MAB

MAB, I can't argue with the Dale Carnegie approach as a business model or way of life. And having been at your meet and greet in Kalamazoo I can verify your winning personality and performing style. I enjoyed filming your talk and performance and the crowd appeared to enjoy it too. Certainly the Chili Peppers have helped popularize the open mic format in Plainwell using the Nashville format. Shelagh and Los Bandits are both local performing favorites with good followings. The rest I'm not sure about. I think your client Frankie Ballard used to run In that that circle, though I'm not sure about that. But the Chili Peppers Songwriting Club and their monthly open mics have a long history so they must be having a grand time and enjoying themselves. And they're all fans of yours. So keep up the good work and keep preaching the gospel.

Dan,

Frankie was sort of in the formative stage of the Chili Peppers endeavors. They were actually formed AFTER we all had some success in developing Frankie. His success and reputation built the format we use in all the subsequent artists. Basically, it is finding new artists and writing with them through the group process, give them opportuntites to perform original music through the Write night at M-89.

Shelagh came next and now Dani Jameson. So the basic format is the same through all of them. Frankie was the guinea pig to show that it would work. It's kind of like my own personal testing laboratory. I use it as a resource to develop artists,then step them up here. A 'Farm team' approach if you will.

You also find out what people are made of and how long they will stick with something. If they come around, do a few things and then dissapear, you don't want them anyway. If their music and skills develop, then we can step them into other situations. I've done the same thing in Orange County California, Cincinatti, Ohio, and Kalamazoo. All have their own success stories and their own roadblocks. Many move on to Nashville and the groups tend to dissapate.

The Chili Peppers are the one's who continue to keep going.

MAB